Health Law and Regulation Update: Causation Expert

The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in favor of a pharmacy provider on claims of professional negligence arising out of a misfilled prescription. In the case of Roberts v. Quick Rx, Mr. Roberts’ wife went to the pharmacy to pick up his prescriptions. The cashier handed Ms. Roberts two filled bottles through a drive-through window. However, the bottles were for a different patient and for different medications.

The following day, Ms. Bryant administered the medication to her husband, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A little while later, she heard him call her name. She found her husband on the floor, confused. There was nothing in the area that would have caused him to fall. She called an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery for a broken hip. The prescription error was later discovered and Plaintiffs sued Quick Rx for professional negligence, simple negligence, and punitive damages. The trial court granted summary judgment on the professional negligence and punitive damages claims.

Regarding the medical malpractice claim, Plaintiffs’ pharmacy expert testified the standard of care required a pharmacist or their delegate to counsel the person picking up the medication about the medication and to match the patient with the prescription. This is part of a Georgia regulation. However, the expert did not rely on any facts to show this was not done or that it was not done by the pharmacist or their delegate. Accordingly, the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment.

The Court held that the cashier’s failure to give the correct prescription to Ms. Bryant was a jury question on simple negligence. But, the same claim would not support a claim for punitive damages, so summary judgment was affirmed.

Quick Rx cross-appealed, claiming there was no evidence of causation to support Plaintiffs’ claims that the fall made Mr. Bryant develop Alzheimer’s or made it worse. In response, Plaintiffs argued they were not making such a claim, but Ms. Bryant actually testified to it and they did not affirmatively state in response to summary judgment that they were not seeking that as an item of damages. The Court affirmed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment on the issue.

Lastly, Quick Rx claimed Plaintiffs’ causation expert did not provide a scientific basis for his opinion that the administration of the misfilled medication caused the fall. The trial court denied the motion and the Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that the expert had sufficient facts and a reasonable scientific basis for his opinions.

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